Ok, so I've been an on-again, off-again 100% vegan, but I've never really been able to make that last permanent leap. As mentioned in other threads, I am "mostly" vegan, in that I eat a few things that have some small amounts of milk solids or are made with cheese. Most of these things are processed, of course, so eliminating them altogether and finding global alternatives will remove the issues, but I also like sprinkling hard cheeses such as parmesan or feta on salads and pastas.

I don't eat eggs or drink cow's milk, nor do I crave these things. So really I'm pretty close here, so I'll detail my attempts to get off these things here and substitute other things. I've listed my "vices", as follows with associated notes:

1. Gardenburgers (original). Contain cheese/milk in their processing. I dislike the vegan boca burger taste, but I'll need to acquire the taste.

2. Pamesan/feta cheese. These cheeses I get for their strong flavors, and I haven't found any vegan substitutes that I like.

3. Pre-made/processed mocha/cappucino drink. Milk solids. This is bad if not only for its sugar content. I'm substituting with coffee, soy milk, and raw sugar. Working well. This is the easiest to drop.

4. The occasional candy bar craving in the afternoon. Unfortunately there is a vending machine right down the hall which calls... Yipes! Will be trying to substitute with healthy bars such as Clif Bar Nectars or Larabars which are made from pure fruit sources.

Welcome to transitioning back...
As for the burger I was wondering if you ever tried making your own. Its fairly easy and very cheap to do it with lentils and rice. I just cook a mixture of lentils and rice(normally 50/50 sometimes 75/25) mixed with onions and various spices. If you add a bit of flour and egg replacer then add water and a bit of soy sauce your good to go and fry them up. They taste great. Its even better with tempeh but not so cheap.
As for the parm this is the best parm replacement I've ever had
http://www.veganessentials.com/catalog/ ... native.htm

But in all honestly I like nutritional yeast more. It doesn't taste like parm but to me its just a bit more cheese like...moreso even than real parm

As for the bars...check out ebay...you can get nearly expired Cliff/Luna bars super cheap(not the nectars though). And they taste the same...some after being a year old(I didn't buy them that way...I've just had them marinading in my bedroom). At one point I had about 250 of them and after shipping I think they averaged around $0.38 per bar

Yo Potter...awesome tips...thanks...I'll wing those burgers. Gonna throw it together in a few minutes here, then fry them up so I can take them to work tomorrow. Turns out they have parma at our local health food store...will pick up tomorrow. Awesome...thanks

Hey Matt-
Good to see you back here.
Don't know if you have a Trader Joe's near you, but they have a new tofu veggie burger that's really good. At my local TJ's it's in the section with tofu rather than in the frozen section.
Also, I've been doing trail mix and fruit for snacks at work. Again, TJ's have a few good organic trail mixes, some with semi-sweet chocolate (if that's your craving). I either have that or make my own trail mix from bulk organic items (raisins, dried cranberries and apricots, peanuts/cashews, almonds,various seeds). A nice, big organic apple definitely hits the sweet spot.
You been riding at all?
Best,
Finn

_________________"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace" - Jimi Hendrix

Hey, Finn! Good to hear from you. Yeah, I got TJ's nearby. Do you remember the burger's name? Is it a TJ's brand or a different company like Morning Star?

Yeah, I been riding every day to work for a number of weeks now and occasionally on the weekends. I'm working locally (person-to-person rather than through another organization) to get people involved in bike commuting and I've already had a couple co-workers ride to try it out of which I am proud. We really need to get as many people out of cars and looking for what I call a "zero emission" lifestyle. Anyway, I'd love to have you at my bike commuting boards (potter as well!) if you guys are into commuting.

But yeah, I have a sweet tooth (as does my wife) and we're always looking for good ideas. We've been buying and eating a lot of oranges, and because of our fast-paced style of living (with young kids and all) we peel the oranges a refrigerate them which makes eating fruit quick and easy. Sounds goofy, but sometimes we won't eat something if it takes a minute longer to get at it!

I just got this other burger recipe that uses pecans, garlic, spices and some oil and are baked rather than fried or sauteed. I'm going to try this as well.

1. Gardenburgers (original). Contain cheese/milk in their processing. I dislike the vegan boca burger taste, but I'll need to acquire the taste.

Not a big fan of Boca either, Amy's makes a tasty one, or I can do Boca with a marinade

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2. Pamesan/feta cheese. These cheeses I get for their strong flavors, and I haven't found any vegan substitutes that I like.

Can't help you here, I gave up cheese (and dairy) before I gave up meat.

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3. Pre-made/processed mocha/cappucino drink. Milk solids. This is bad if not only for its sugar content. I'm substituting with coffee, soy milk, and raw sugar. Working well. This is the easiest to drop.

Looks like you're on track here. I like my coffee black and have grown quite a taste for the upper end coffees, with quite an appreciation for each distinct flavor

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4. The occasional candy bar craving in the afternoon. Unfortunately there is a vending machine right down the hall which calls... Yipes! Will be trying to substitute with healthy bars such as Clif Bar Nectars or Larabars which are made from pure fruit sources.

You can also try dark chocolates. Again not much of a help here, I don't care for chocolate or any sweet junk food for that matter.

I'm definately into commuting but now I live so close to school I commute by foot since I'd probably be late trying to park my bike. Last semester I rode about 1.5 miles to class every day(really I went home and came back 2-3 times). I think I drove maybe three or four times last year(not my own car since I don't have one anymore) and sat in a car maybe 2-3 other times outside of the VV.

Had some black bean wraps with onions, tomatoes, avocado, and flour tortillas today for lunch. Arrived home and ate some pasta with tomato paste and lentil sauce, some decaf coffee, and some chocolate Vega. All of us at home are a little sick with a semi-colds, but I think I'm doing the best right now. Sticking with

I'm contemplating doing some serious bodybuilding for the first time. More along the lines of building a nicely proportioned physique rather than aiming for any competition or super bulk, etc. I've done strength training in the past for cycling and running, but higher reps with lower weight. Looking forward to taking tips from the VBB boards and starting a new program.

Now, to the gym or build my own home gym? I'm leaning toward the latter...

Home today with mild cold. The whole family has it and I was the last to get it. Ate or drank nothing but tea until around 2pm; slept most of the morning. Made fettuccine with red lentil sauce, celery and onions. Really seemed to get the system back on track. Drank some more tea. Then some more. Feeling much better. Back to sleep.

Still sick today and home from work, but pulling out of it. Rest of the family seems to be as well. Eating much less, big decided to do an informal pushup session at the suggestion of Bigwii in another thread. Hit 25. Not bad for me...

Watched Vegan Fitness Built Naturally earlier which was fun to view again. Got focused on the acid/alkaline deal again and want to eat more raw veggies for that. Looking forward to bike commuting to work again; we'll see tomorrow.

Haven't posted for a couple days, but I've been completely vegan now for a while. In fact, I've gone mostly raw with assorted fruit and veggies, seeds and nuts. I've had that Vega Smoothie Infusion which is wonderful. Less sleep every night, but feeling great when I wake up. About 5 hours of sleep each night. Still a lingering cough, but taking it easy otherwise so I can hit the bike commute training again on Monday.

Watching the folks on this forum start getting back into shape (like robert and hero) has got me itching to renew my gym membership. I'm going to forgo the home gym due to immediate cost and lack of space. But I'm interested in doing a little personal BB on the DL.

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